As you may remember, a number of these players were on last year’s roster as well – Lorenzo Brown, Brady Heslip, Othyus Jeffers – as they look to catch on with the Timberwolves or another team around the league. That isn’t going to be the focus though for many Pups fans, who will naturally have their eyes on this year’s draft picks, Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyus Jones. Look for both players to carve out a good amount of PT under Head Coach Ryan Saunders in Las Vegas.

Somewhat conspicuous by their absence, Andrew Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng, and Shabazz Muhammad will all be in Las Vegas with the team but aren’t expected to play in Summer League, per Timberwolves.com. While it isn’t normally the case for players in their third year or beyond in the NBA to play in Summer League, it was an interesting call-out on the press release that further pushes the #EyesOnTheRise.

The Wolves will play a minimum of five games in the Las Vegas tournament, with the first three already scheduled:

Karl-Anthony Towns – naturally. For the first time in team history, the Wolves were able to draft the best player at the top of the draft. Towns has the potential to be a cornerstone for this franchise for the next decade and it all starts later this week in Las Vegas!

Intrigued By:

Adreian Payne – I still don’t see why expectations are so high for Payne given last season’s results. Can he be a solid contributor? I think so. Is he a 30+ minute player that is going to average a double-double? I don’t think so but there are clearly many fans that have something similar to this in their heads when discussing Payne’s future with the Wolves.

What do you think Wolves’ fans? What are you looking forward to seeing the most when the Pups hit the court in Las Vegas?

Good luck and good health to the Timberwolves over the next few weeks in Summer League play!

As we exit All-Star Weekend there has been one constant in the Timberwolves lineup this season, the future Rookie of the Year for the 2014/15 season, Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins has played in and started every game thus far for the Wolves. Let’s dissect his game a bit and what our projections are for the Timberwolves’ star.

Question 1: What has impressed you the most with Andrew Wiggins’ game?

John:

Every night he is guarding some of the best wing players in the NBA and he doesn’t seem to mind the task at all. This has to be exhausting on any NBA player, but is almost unthinkable to ask a 19 year old to go out there and do this night in and night out.

Secondary vote goes towards his all-around offensive game. I’m surprised it is as strong as it is already. Once he starts getting the benefit of the doubt from the referees, he is going to make a living at the free throw line.

Lindsey:

His confidence in shooting the ball. I think in the first couple games you could see that he was getting used to that transition into the pros, but even then he didn’t hesitate to shoot. He knows what he can do, and he knows he’s capable of being a star in the NBA. It gives the Timberwolves an energy and spark on offense that I haven’t seen for awhile.

Alex:

So far this season, I have been blown away by Wiggins’ maturity and even-keeled approach to the game. We can talk all day about his physical tools, but his mentality and attitude have demonstrated a particular leadership that was missing in the Timberwolves’ last star. Sitting at a youthful 19 years of age, Wiggins has a chance to one day be a very special player.

Josh:

His consistency on offense. For a guy that was known to fade on offense at times at Kansas, Wiggins has found his spots offensively and been aggressive. His shooting form has also impressed. Even still, there’s plenty of room for more improvement to Wiggins game, and that has to have Wolves fans excited.

Question 2: Is Andrew Wiggins happy in Minnesota, and will he stay happy here?

Lindsey:

The short answer is, Wiggins is currently happy in Minnesota. No one enjoys losing of course, so there is that element of frustration, but I don’t agree with people who say that Wiggins feels negatively about being traded from Cleveland. Sure, he could have played with LeBron James in Cleveland and would have won more games. But he would have been in the shadow of LeBron and Kyrie Irving, and I think the Timberwolves gave Wiggins the best chance to step up and stand out as a rookie. Long-term, it’s hard to say how content he’ll stay if we don’t see a major improvement on the team. I do think he’s happy with the fans, city and especially his teammates, and there is still a lot of upside with guys like Shabazz Muhammad and Zach LaVine. Games have also been much more promising with Rubio and Pekovic back healthy–in my opinion, Wiggins is getting set up for a good situation here.

Alex:

An underrated aspect of acquiring Wiggins was that not only were the Timberwolves getting arguably the best NBA prospect since LeBron James, but also that he happened to be from Toronto, Ontario. Andrew seems to be growing very comfortable in his settings and I truly hope that this working relationship can continue for many years to come. And it’s as simple as that.

John:

Being traded to Minnesota was probably the best for Wiggins in terms of quick development. Is he happy? He sure seems happy when he is on the court. This is really on the front office to turn things around very quickly moving forward. The Wolves cannot afford to have two or three more losing seasons with Wiggins leading the charge (with Ricky Rubio). Winning cures all.

Question 3: Is Andrew Wiggins going to hit the rookie wall?

Josh:

He may have already hit it. The last few weeks before the All-Star break Wiggins seemed to tire in the second half of games. He’s played the most minutes in the NBA since January 1st, and the week long break, should do him wonders as he works to get back in sync with Rubio.

Alex:

In short, yes, in one way or another Wiggins will ultimately hit the “rookie wall”. However, I do not believe that we will suddenly begin to see noticeable flaws in his game, rather that physical exhaustion and lack of proper endurance will take a step or two away from him. The truth of the matter is that he is an extremely well-rounded player who can beat you in a myriad of ways, and I do not expect to see him go down without a fight.

John:

I’m shocked that he hasn’t really fallen off too much. He did have a few off games before the break, but it wasn’t like he fell off a cliff like many rookies do at some point over the course of the season. With the rest, he will likely have recharged the battery for another few weeks; where maybe we start to see him tail off in late March or April. I’m impressed that he hasn’t really shown a great deal of decline, particularly since he is consistently asked to guard the best wing players in the league every night.

Lindsey:

It’s hard to tell! He’s had a couple “off games” over the past couple weeks that Rubio has been back, but I don’t think he’s going to fully hit that wall that we see a lot of rookies up against. Wiggins has gotten progressively better and more confident throughout the season, and I have to imagine that finally having Rubio and Kevin Martin back will increase the morale and energy for everyone on the floor, but especially Wiggins.

What has caught your attention the most with Andrew Wiggins? What was your favorite highlight thus far? Let us know in the Comments below or on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

This was the story once again for the Minnesota Timberwolves when they fell just short to the Kings Thursday night. The New Years Day game was a big one for rookie Andrew Wiggins, who led the team with 27 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad each added 15 points in the effort. On the other end, Rudy Gay and Darren Collison scored 21 points apiece for the Kings.

Minnesota delivered an impressive first quarter, shooting 57 percent from the field and grabbing 29 points. Unfortunately for the Wolves, though, Sacramento came out even stronger. Gay led the way with 10 points as the Kings landed 77.8 percent of their shots and entered the second quarter with 37 points.

Despite falling behind early on, the Wolves worked their way back with a lot of help from Wiggins. The youngster tallied 15 points in the second quarter alone, including one bucket from behind the three-point line.

“[Wiggins has] been playing really well,” Saunders said.

Just after halftime, Minnesota tied the score at 66-66. It seemed that the Wolves might be gaining momentum, but the excitement was short lived as the Kings went on an 11-0 run.

One of the weakest spots for the Timberwolves proved to be the free-throw line. The team missed some crucial opportunities late in the game, landing only 16 of its 22 attempts from the charity stripe.

Saunders knew the team needed a spark in the second half, and he implemented newly acquired guard Troy Daniels. Daniels added 11 points over 12 minutes of play time, including three baskets from behind the arc. The former Houston Rocket seems to be finding his groove with a new team, and Wolves fans hope he will be another piece to the puzzle.

“I know my job is to shoot the ball,” Daniels said postgame. “If I’m open, just shoot it. I’m just trying to help the team any way I can.”

If the Wolves hope to increase their win totals, the team needs more consistency from its starting five. Thaddeus Young had a quieter night than usual with just nine points, and rookie Zach LaVine finished with a mere six points and three assists.

Sacramento did almost everything right on the evening; each one of its starters scored in double-digit points, and the squad shot 54.1 percent from the field.

“We’ve been so close,” head coach Flip Saunders said. “We just can’t seem to get over the hump.”

It seems that a lot of good things have been happening in games over the past few weeks—significant developments for Wiggins and Muhammad and the addition of Daniels—but so far the young team just can’t get the wins to show for it.

Thursday night’s loss dropped the Wolves to 5-26 on the season. They will remain at home for the week to face Utah Saturday night and Denver on Monday.

The Timberwolves kicked off their new-look season on the road, facing Zach Randolph and the rest of the Grizzlies squad in Memphis. Thaddeus Young led the Wolves with 26 points, followed by Mo Williams with 18 points. Unfortunately, however, Minnesota could not stop Randolph and Marc Gasol, who tallied 25 and 32 points, respectively. The teams battled for four quarters, exchanging the lead more than once. In the end, the Wolves fell short in the 105-101 final score.

Memphis had not won a season opener since 2000, and it was clear that the team did not plan to allow one more loss. The Grizzlies came out with all cylinders firing, and they pulled ahead to an early lead. Halfway through the first quarter, Wolves head coach Flip Saunders called a timeout to cool down their opponents, who hit seven shots in a row.

The timeout worked. Following the brief break, Williams led the Wolves on a 14-3 run, and Shabazz Muhammad landed a three-point bucket to give Minnesota the 25-23 lead.

Minny fell behind once again in the second quarter, scoring only 20 points to the Grizzlies’ 28. Despite a lot of good looks, great rebounding, and slam dunks from both Anthony Bennett and Corey Brewer, sloppy ball handling and execution continued to hurt the Wolves throughout the game. One disappointment, and surprisingly so, was center Nikola Pekovic. The big man committed two traveling violations in the first quarter alone, and he looked sluggish and off his game all night. In almost 29 minutes on the floor, Pek grabbed only five points (2-for-9 from the floor) and four rebounds.

This season, Ricky Rubio will attempt to prove that he can be the face of the Minnesota franchise. For that to be believable, he will have to settle down a bit and pull things together. The 24-year-old did add 12 points and seven assists to the stat sheet, but he lost the ball seven times as well. Overall the Wolves committed 23 turnovers, ultimately costing them the game. “We have to take care of the ball, especially me,” Rubio said. “I got maybe too crazy at the end of the third quarter.”

In the fourth quarter, Minnesota kept pace with its opponent, even taking a 9-0 run and an 87-85 lead early on. During that stint, Bennett grabbed five points and Muhammad added four. The Grizzlies pulled away when it counted, though. Gasol seemed to hit every shot he threw up, including a 21-foot jumper at the 1:23 mark. The biggest momentum-changer occurred with an out-of-bounds call awarded to the Grizzlies, when it appeared that it should have gone the other way. Saunders expressed his frustration after the game, saying the ball had gone off Randolph, and it slowed down the Wolves’ momentum.

The Wolves battled back to within two, but veteran Vince Carter capitalized on a trip to the charity stripe with only 7.3 seconds left on the clock to seal the score at 105-101.

Rookie Andrew Wiggins delivered a decent performance in his NBA debut, his stat line reading five points, three rebounds and two steals. “I was nervous, but not crazy nervous,” Wiggins said. “I calmed down after the tip.” Minnesota’s draft pick Zach LaVine and Glenn Robinson III did not play Wednesday night.

(photo credit: dunkingwithwolves.com)

Everybody will agree a loss is a loss. However, there were several good things to note in the first game of the season:

Thaddeus Young: Young sold himself as the MVP against Memphis. Besides 26 points, the forward added four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Young looks to be a very well-rounded player who immediately improves Minnesota’s offense.

Most Improved: When looking at returning players for the Wolves, forward Shabazz Muhammad has made the greatest strides during offseason. Muhammad dropped over 20 pounds, and he looks much more in-shape, focused, and efficient on the floor. The 22-year-old grabbed 13 points and seven rebounds on the night.

Rebounding: Interestingly enough, the stat that may have been expected to fall when Kevin Love left Minnesota did not seem to be a problem for this young team. The Wolves out-rebounded Memphis 47-33. If the team can continue to grab boards like this, it bodes promising for the rest of the season.

Up next: the Timberwolves will welcome fans for the home opener Thursday night against Detroit before facing the Bulls on Saturday evening, also at home.

According to a Yahoo! Sports article posted on Oct. 16, the Minnesota Timberwolves are shopping around small forward Chase Budinger.

Adrian Wojnarowski reported that two teams possibly interested in working out a deal are Detroit and Houston. The Pistons are without shooting guard Jodie Meeks, who is expected to miss eight weeks with a fractured back, and Budinger could be one option to fill the vacant spot.

The elephant in the room, however, is Budinger’s contract. The 26-year-old is guaranteed $5 million for the current season, and his contract also includes a $5 million player option for 2015-2016. Any team negotiating with Minny will need to assess if that type of contract will make sense for the return.

Last season, Budinger averaged 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in his second year with the Wolves. He performed slightly higher during the 2012-2013 season, averaging 9.4 PPG.

A trade does not seem imminent at this point; however, the Wolves have quite a few wing players on their squad, making it feasible for a trade to be in the books at some point. The question is this: is Budinger the best player to be dangling as trade bait? Should Minnesota continue looking to deal No. 10, or is he a stronger asset on the roster? One player who plays a similar role to Budinger is Corey Brewer. If presented with the opportunity, should the Timberwolves keep one over the other?

When comparing the two SFs, Brewer better fits the Wolves’ need.

As much as I appreciate Budinger’s style and temperament both on and off the court, he is more of a question mark. And in the NBA, a question mark equals dispensable. Minnesota originally brought Budinger in to improve the young team’s perimeter shooting. He showed promise early on, and Wolves fans looked forward to seeing how his development would improve the squad offensively. Since coming here, however, Budinger has missed a substantial part of each season due to knee injuries. In 2012-2013, he played only 23 games. Last year, he managed to participate in 41 games. The Timberwolves anticipate him having a healthy season, but knee injuries can be a never-ending problem.

Brewer, on the other hand, has remained healthy—missing only one game over the past two years. Injuries can happen at any time, but overall Brewer is the more physically stable player.

Budinger’s numbers fell a bit last season, and his point totals fall short of Brewer’s. Brewer averaged 12.3 PPG in his return to Minnesota for the 2013-2014 season. In addition, Brewer is one of the most explosive defenders in the Wolves’ lineup. The Florida alum averages 1.9 steals per game, and he fires on all cylinders game after game.

Minnesota cannot afford to lose Brewer’s energy, especially heading into a season with so many new players and variables.

If a team is willing to absorb Budinger’s contract and the trade rumors come to any fruition, it would be an efficient way to move one of the many wings and add depth to the Wolves roster and allow more opportunities to utilize Brewer for the upcoming season.

The NBA season is upon us Wolves’ fans! With that in mind, we have put together an internal roundtable discussion on several hot topics with the 2014-15 Timberwolves. As we look towards the season ahead, which Wolves’ players will make the leap, how will the rookies do, what are we looking forward to the most, and similar topics are all covered below by the Timberpups staff for the coming season!

With our #EyesOnTheRise, here are a number of questions that we passed along to one another to collect opinions and thoughts.

Question 1: What Wolves player are you most excited about as we enter the season?

John: I’m most excited, maybe intrigued, by what Zach LaVine can bring to the table. Will he be able to effectively play both guard positions? Will he continue to progress throughout the season? How mentally tough is he as the season wears on and the losses likely start to pile up? He has all of the athletic talent in the world, as we have already seen. I want to see him run both guard positions, getting different looks alongside Rubio, Martin, and Brewer.

Lindsey: I’m most excited by Andrew Wiggins. I’ll admit that along with excitement also comes some anxiety. Having the No. 1 draft pick is awesome, as there is so much anticipation and enthusiasm surrounding him. However, it also means that we haven’t seen him prove himself in the big leagues yet. How will he do in the transition from college to the NBA? How will he mesh with Flip and his offensive schemes? My gut feeling is that he will be more-than-ready for pro action and will immediately improve our scoring and speed on the court.

Josh: As a whole, I’m excited about seeing the youth of the team grow. If I had to pick one that I’m most excited about, though, it would be Wiggins. Through two preseason games, he already seems to be NBA ready, especially on the defensive end. He seems to be a great listener and is willing to take advice from teammates and coaches. Watching his develop should be enough to keep Wolves fans entertained even if they do end up well outside the playoff picture. [Read more…]

Kevin Love was supposed to be the next savior for the Wolves and that never came to fruition. (John Autey, Pioneer Press)

It is August 23rd and the Wolves are back in the news, as it is now 30 days since Andrew Wiggins signed his NBA rookie contract and can now be traded. It didn’t take long for today’s announcement, as Wiggins and Anthony Bennett are on their way to Minnesota for three time All Star, Kevin Love. As had been rumored for weeks, the Philadelphia 76ers worked their way into the deal and will send PF Thad Young to the Wolves. In return, the 76ers will receive Alexey Shved, LRMAM, and Miami’s 2015 #1 pick.

There are a number of pieces to this puzzle worth commenting on, so I’m going to break this up a bit. The future of the Timberwolves is now much clearer and there is some strange light that I’m seeing in the distance.

Au revoir Kevin Love

First and foremost, I think the Wolves did a great job in finding a new home for Kevin Love when all things are considered. He wanted to go play in a specific city and the Wolves found themselves able to acquire a decent haul that provides them with both talent and flexibility moving forward. Love has never been able to get the Timberwolves into the playoffs, has occasionally been considered a stats-focused player, and certainly has limitations on the defensive end of the floor. That said, he is an all-world rebounder, fantastic offensive player and is, in my opinion, the best PF in the game today.

Love has been the face of the franchise since 2010/11 when he became the teams go-to player. Statistically speaking, he hasn’t disappointed. In the four seasons as a regular starter, Love has averaged over 22ppg and almost 14rpg and that includes an injury riddled – knuckle push-ups led – 2012/13 season. While he has been the most marketable player for the franchise, he has not been able to get the club back into the playoffs. There are any number of caveats that can be thrown on this statement, but the fact remains that the Wolves did not make the playoffs during Love’s tenure with the club. His attitude has been called into question and the quotes provided to the media left a lot to be desired.

It was time to move on and we should all do the same. Kevin Love was not the next Kevin Garnett. He was the first Kevin Love, an exciting player that brought some attention to the franchise. Let’s not forget that a lot of this may have been avoided if David Kahn and Glen Taylor just gave Love the max-max deal and/or didn’t agree to his opt-out clause in his current contract.

The franchise core moving forward

Flip Saunders now turns his attention to rebuilding the Wolves once again. There are certainly pieces to work with, including Ricky Rubio, last year’s 1st round pick Gorgui Dieng, and this year’s selection, Zach LaVine. When you throw in Wiggins, there is a lot of promise and potential in the Twin Cities. This is certainly a core group that Wolves’ fans can get excited about and it is a group of players that should be able to grow together with extended minutes on the court next season.

There is one glaring need when looking at that core of four and it is outside shooting. That is where the remaining flexibility that Flip has, or will have in the coming 18 months, needs to be focused on. For those wondering, no, Kevin Martin is not the answer here. He and JJ Barea are the next two players that need to be moved to another city.

The remaining pieces of the Wolves roster

Anthony Bennett had a terrible rookie season, averaging 4.2ppg and 3rpg in under 13mpg. However, he is 21 years old and now has a season under his belt. I’m glad he is staying with the Wolves and was not part of the package that went to Philadelphia, based simply on a “let’s roll the dice and see what we have with him” philosophy. He may not get much better, but he’s one year into his rookie contract so there isn’t much to lose in this situation.

Thad Young just turned 26 years old this summer but has seven years of NBA experience. He is a fantastic athlete who averaged 17.9ppg and 6rpg last season on the 76ers. I’m skeptical as to what Flip Saunders thinks he is getting in Young, but for what the Wolves gave up to acquire him, this was a no-brainer.

(You can pretty much assume that Chris Bosh gets injured this coming season, the Heat sit Wade once this happens and Miami wins the NBA lottery, thereby giving the Sixers this pick. This is what happens when the Wolves are involved in the lottery. The title of a novel based on the Wolves’ history in the lottery would be rightfully named “The Worst”.)

The only other player on the Wolves roster that warrants mentioning here is Corey Brewer. He is likely the only other (relevant) Pup that I see being with the Wolves 24 months from now. His ideal role is an off-the-bench, energy guy in a 8 or 9 man rotation. Assuming Coach Flip doesn’t have a “we must win this game” mentality next season, Brewer should start to become acclimated to this role.

In summary

Pinch me, but I think the Wolves received quite the return package for a player that wasn’t going to be here much longer and two guys that underachieved and/or underwhelmed during their tenure in Minnesota.

What do you think Wolves Nation? Are you happy with the return or are you boycotting the Target Center next season? I think you’ll see some exciting basketball being played on the floor, with a good number of speed bumps hit along the way. I’m happy to see this drama resolved, that we have a core group of guys that can grow together and players that could very likely lead this team back to the playoffs one or two seasons from now.

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